By Frieda Koppler
On 29 October Southeastern Spain, especially the province of Valencia, was hit by a devastating flood disaster. The masses of water were unimaginable, with up to 490 litres of rainfall per square metre—as much as usually falls in a year.
In some buildings the water was up to the first floor. Cars were piled up by the water pressure and some are still blocking roads, with some areas initially inaccessible to rescue workers.
Many were stuck in their cars for days; others were locked in their homes. Some spent the night on rooftops and were cut off from all communication while waiting for help. The destruction led to the collapse of roads and highways, mobile communications and telephone connections.
As many as 150,000 people had no electricity. In an industrial area not far from Valencia’s port, where about 20,000 people work, all 1,400 warehouses were flooded, with workers on the ground floor unable to save themselves. More than 200 people have died; almost 80 are missing; many have lost everything.
Almost two weeks after the disaster, many streets in the more than 60 hard-hit municipalities in Valencia were still covered with stinking mud. Garbage and broken furniture are piling up. In the meantime, the search for victims is concentrated on underground car parks and other flooded subterranean facilities. Almost one million people are affected, the largest natural disaster ever to occur in modern Spain.
Solidarity has been enormous. Many people donated food, money and home cooked meals. Thousands could be seen on the streets, on the way to the villages, armed with brooms and rubber boots to help clean up.
But there is considerable criticism of the state’s disaster management. In many cases the regional government issued severe weather warnings and stay at home requests far too late. Valencia’s Prime Minister Carlos Mazón is a member of the right wing conservative Partido Popular. One of his first acts in office was to abolish the emergency unit, which had only recently been introduced to respond to natural disasters, citing ‘unnecessary costs’. Meanwhile, right wing extremist coalition partner Vox denies climate change.
Popular outrage
Instead of organising the necessary aid Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of the social democratic Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE), Mazón and King Felipe VI visited Paiporta, one of the worst-affected villages, the following Sunday. They were greeted by angry residents and volunteers with fistfuls of mud and shouts of ‘murderer!’, ‘resign!’ and ‘grab a shovel and lend a hand!’. The anger of local residents is more than understandable.
The first aid package announced by Sánchez, a week after the disaster, is too late and completely inadequate. While it contains some important relief measures, such as financial support for the repair of damaged apartments or the purchase of new furniture, it is centrally concerned with saving companies.
It includes tax exemptions and aid for large companies, paid for with public money. The regional government’s demand was €31bn, but Madrid has provided only €10.6bn so far. Long-term adaptations to climate change will also be necessary, costing many billions more.
Much criticism has also been directed at companies that did not warn their workers in time or forced them to work. Employees of Intidex, one of Spain’s largest fast fashion companies, did not notice the weather warnings because they are not allowed to use their mobile phones while working.
Other companies did not send workers home early enough or even insisted that workers come to work despite heavy rain warnings. The commute thus became fatal for many. When young people shouted at Mercadona boss Juan Roig that he had sent his workers to their deaths, because he forced them to work despite severe weather warnings, he responded with insults.
The response from the unions has been pathetic—a ten minute strike, and that’s it! The leaderships of the three largest unions, UGT, CCOO and USO (Unión General de Trabajadores, Comisiones Obreras, Unión Sindical Obrera), do not want a real struggle, but rather to work with those who are responsible for the disaster.
On 9 November 130,000 demonstrated in Valencia. Twenty social and trade union organisations called on the regional government to stand in front of the legislature so they could be held accountable. Symbolically the protesters wrote ‘Mazón, resign!’ with mud on the city’s town hall.
One poster, for example, read, ‘Fewer bullfights, more civilian emergency aid!’ and in some places protesters shouted, ‘Long live the struggle of the working class!’. A demonstration also took place in Madrid the following weekend. In Barcelona and Castellón, there were protests demanding Carlos Mazón’s resignation the week before.
Floods like this are becoming increasingly common. Whereas this phenomenon used to occur every 15 years, today it occurs every 5 years. These have also become larger in recent years and no longer remain locally limited. Meanwhile, the far right Vox party talks about ‘environmental fanaticism’ and the PP embraces this to a large extent. Economic interests are placed above the protection of the population and the climate.
Events like these not only provide opportunities to expose the climate deniers and push back against the far right, they also, as can be seen, generate political action against the criminal capitalist governments that have done nothing to prepare for the inevitable disasters. Socialists, ecologists and trade unionists must seize these moments, providing leadership to the spontaneous outbursts, to force the politicians and bosses to pay for urgent support and long term changes.
What would it take?
Most immediately accommodation for all people must be provided. Vacant houses or hotels should be used for this purpose. Rents and other expenses must be suspended, and paid leave provided until work can resume. It will take time and financial resources for the population to rebuild their lives and recover from the shock and tragedy. Emergency payments for salvage work and reconstruction must be increased considerably.
Those responsible such as Mazón, Sánchez and Mercadona boss Juan Roig must be held accountable. An independent investigation, under the control of the aggrieved workers, is needed to reveal errors and name omissions.
Disaster management must be properly resourced, requiring many specialized, well-trained and equipped full-time staff and massive investment, as well as efficient flood protection, together with a climate protection programme worthy of its name. This means a large-scale restructuring that prepares the water infrastructure for new hazards.
The entire built environment must become more resilient—a turnaround in energy, transport and construction is necessary, among other things. A plan must be drawn up that restructures all sectors, with the goal of ecologically sustainable development under the control of the wage-dependent masses.
The billions that are required must be taken from the climate profiteers and not the working class. Building on the recent protests, anger against the corporations and governments must be channelled into a rediscovery of the class struggle.
Last but not least, we must fight internationally for a socialist revolution, because only by overcoming capitalism and introducing democratic planning can the ecological catastrophe still perhaps be averted or at least mitigated.
